The City of Titans and the Gifts of the Scions

 

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Deep in the far north of Norwold amidst biting cold and rugged peaks there is the City of the Titans. Once a metropolis of the Arvorian Empire, this place is now abandoned on the surface, but still very active underneath. It is much further inland than its nearest neighbour the City of Madness. 

Based on original by 6inchnails, source

The Arvorians call this place M'wagthar - the name City of the Titans was given by the sole human to have visited it and returned alive, an Alphatian mage called Zelthius. In his fevered and possibly insane ramblings he said that although the Arvorians were the most numerous inhabitants, there were powerful and huge creatures trapped deep under the city that he described as titans. The exact nature of these beings is unknown but apparently the resident Arvorians both greatly respect these creatures and seek to free them - these titans have been trapped by unknown forces opposed to the Arvorians and their chaotic masters. They are big - bigger than the mammoths that roam the tundra, even bigger than the dinosaurs of Davania. And according to the bas-relief on the walls of Arvorian temples they are truly monstrous to behold. Their unleashing will usher in a new age of glory for the Arvorians as the titans smash and destroy the puny human and demihuman enemies who stand against the Arvorians and the Great Old Ones. It is fortunate for the rest of the world that the bindings that hold the titans are strong indeed, both physically and magically. 

The architecture above the ground is covered in ice and very few Arvorians are encountered on the surface. Those that are on the surface need to be well protected from the intense arctic cold. The surface structure is quite different from the City of Madness - while that city has lots of individual buildings on a relatively flat ground, the City of Titans resembles some massive ice-covered palace, with fewer but gargantuan shapes. Similar to the City of Madness, the vast majority of activity happens underground where the Arvorians have their habitation levels, their agricultural levels and the orc and kobold shanty towns where the humanoid minions are kept. There are also caverns containing fungal forests where white apes roam wild although some are captured and domesticated by the Arvorians. There is even a variant race of particularly large and ferocious white apes with six limbs called Girallons - these are tamed only by the most powerful and strong-willed Arvorians. Apart from Zelthius’ rather limited visit, the city is unexplored by humans, and there may be major features that are completely hidden. Zelthius did mention that there is a temple to the titans below the surface, and that eldritch crusaders of different patrons gathered there in apparent harmony in their common task of freeing the titans. 

While in the City of Madness the two Arvorian classes, the Eldritch Crusaders (Fighter/Clerics) and Arcane Knights (Fighter/Mages), are considered to be about equal in status, in the City of Titans the Eldritch Crusaders seem to have the upper hand - partly because at least some of them are in psychic contact with the titans deep below the city - maybe not proper conversations but certainly an awareness, perhaps amplified by powerful dreams. This is because the titans are supernatural servants of the Scions of the Outer Dark. The Eldritch Crusaders have received messages from their Scion patrons as to how to free the titans and, similarly to freeing the Scions of the Outer Dark, this involves large quantities of eldritch crystals. There are certain cults of eldritch crusaders who are particularly intent, even fanatical, about this task, and they, rather than any noble houses or arcane schools, hold the balance of power in the City of Titans. These Arvorian cults will compete with each other and any others who would seek out eldritch crystals - they have even been known to skirmish with Arvorians from the City of Madness and elsewhere over this precious resource. 

The total population of the City of the Titans is unknown but human scholars estimate it to be perhaps two thirds that of the City of Madness. The City of Madness certainly holds more authority and influence over Arvorians outside these cities though the City of Titans perhaps has more religious significance. 

Gifts of the Scions

These cults that are intent on freeing the titans beneath the city are sometimes given gifts by their terrifying patrons particularly once they have proven their loyalty and competence. Such gifts depend on the Scion they follow but they are rarely entirely beneficial - sometimes they can be as much of a curse as a boon. Some Arvorians have likened these gifts to the mutations that can occur with continued contact with certain eldritch crystals but these gifts tend to be less random and more thematic to the Scion granting them. Occasionally these gifts are granted to non-Arvorian servants of the Scions, so an orc, human or ogre who has served the Scion well may be gifted this way. Such gifted creatures are granted more respect than others of their species by the Arvorians but are still not really considered equals - Arvorians can be quite snobbish and bigoted about such things. Human scholars who have heard Zelthius’ account do not understand why these gifted followers are mainly found in the City of Titans, not the City of Madness where the same scions are followed. Maybe the presence of the titans plays a part here. 

Suggested gifts from each of the Scions are given below. Note that these do not happen all at once but one at a time as the follower of the Scion progresses in their career and their devotion to their dark masters. DMs are encouraged to come up with their own gifts suitable for each Scion. 

E’hillit (insanity)

• Bonus to saving throws against externally inflicted insanity, fear and charm
• Immunity to Confusion spells
• Prolonged talking to someone (more than 10 minutes/1 turn) can cause them minor forms of insanity
• Phobias
• Delusions
• Paranoia
• Bouts of Catatonia

Vergillos (secrets & knowledge)

• Comprehend Languages
• Detect Magic at will
• Detect Traps
• Bonuses when researching new magic spells or items
• Bat wings sprouting from back (small wings allow Feather Fall at will, medium wings fly at 120ft, large wings fly at 180ft).
• Bat-like facial features
• Extra-sensitive hearing (both good and bad effects)
• Tends to overthink and overanalyse things and end up reaching very strange conclusions. 

Tallassia (undead)

• Sense undead
• Control undead, bonus to rolls to do so
• Can create more powerful undead at higher levels (3rd Edition D&D Create Undead spell)
• Allowed saving throws against level drain by undead
• Start looking rather corpse-like
• Smell of death surrounds them
• Living animals will try to avoid them.

Skeereet (disease)

• Bonuses to save vs all forms of disease
• Can sense disease in others
• Touch can cause disease
• Not immune to lycanthropy but can control it much better
• Smells bad. Can also cast Stinking Cloud 1/day
• Appearance becomes distinctly unhealthy
• Rat tail, mostly cosmetic, not suitable for combat
• Can talk to rats
• Rat-like facial features
• Improved sense of smell

Belthag'uur (violence)

• Bonus to hit and damage with two-handed weapons
• Bonuses to save vs fear
• Immune to fear
• Aura of Animosity - creatures around you become more likely to start fighting each other
• Empathically encourage orcs, ogres & other chaotic humanoids to attack
• Prone to berserk rages, unable to disengage or accept surrender
• Increasingly short temper, more prone to violence.  

Mohosskith (stealth & spiders)

• Can see in the dark (infravision 120ft)
• Can move silently as if a thief. If already a thief then they get +20% chance to succeed. 
• Invisibility
• Spider legs emerge from the side of their torsos, allowing perfect climbing up walls but making them look monstrous
• Bite becomes mildly venomous, with spider-like pedipalps extending from their mouths.